Petr Starostin

Petr is the director of the Sad Woodpecker Studio, where his passion for photography and videography took root professionally in 2010. Before that, he worked as a producer, shooting videos since 2007. With the advent of digital cameras capable of recording videos, he began making independent video projects in 2010. His journey led him to work at a Russian TV channel in Thailand from 2012 to 2013, and in 2013, he founded the Sad Woodpecker Studio in Vladivostok. Through the studio, he weaves captivating narratives of people, brands, and products into compelling short films. In 2014, Petr embarked on his first non-fiction short film, "Thanks," which was showcased in the non-competitive program Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015 (France, Cannes). Continuing his artistic pursuits, he created his second short film, "The Prom," which became part of the "Environment" program at the International ArtDocFest2017 Film Festival.

Petr's versatility shines through various projects, including a film for MTV Russia, V-ROX 2015, a film about the band Leningrad and Sergei Shnurov titled "On the Other Side," the World Festival of Youth and Students (delegation in Vladivostok), international marathons commissioned by Samsung Galaxy and Honor, and the "Wings of the East 2018" project. In 2018, he delved into a documentary about Ilya Lagutenko, the leader of the band Mumiy Troll, and ventured into his first full-length non-fiction film, "Oskolki Zvezd Sorvutsya s Neba" ("Fragments of Stars Will Fall from the Sky and Disappear"). This remarkable piece earned a spot in the competition program of one of the most prestigious international documentary film festivals, ArtDocFest 2018 in Riga, Latvia. The film's exceptional storytelling garnered recognition and a nomination for the National Award in the field of non-fiction film and television "Laurel Branch."